Cadw intends to reopen castles soon

WALES is full of wonderful historic sites that usually bring in plenty of tourists – unfortunately, like most industries, these heritage sites have been closed to the public because of coronavirus.

Earlier this month Welsh heritage body Cadw reopened 43 of its unstaffed, free-entry monuments and now the historic environment service has revealed a phased reopening plan for selected staffed sites in its care.

Cadw intends to reopen 18 of its staffed heritage sites in phases, starting with some at the beginning of next month including Laugharne Castle. Kidwelly Castle is due to open in September, along with St Davids Bishops Palace.

New site hygiene measures will include increased cleaning practices across all staffed sites, with regular deep cleans alongside daily disinfection of key touch points such as door handles and railings.

Hand sanitiser is available for visitors to use.

■ Sites reopening from August 4: Laugharne Castle (August 4); Blaenavon Ironworks (August 5); Plas Mawr (August 5); Caerphilly Castle (August 6); Denbigh Castle (August 6); Raglan Castle (August 6); Harlech Castle (August 6); Chepstow Castle (August 7); Beaumaris Castle and Conwy Castle (both August 8). ■ Sites reopening later in August: Tintern Abbey; Caernarfon Castle. ■ Sites reopening from September 5: Castell Coch; Criccieth Castle; Kidwelly Castle; St Davids Bishops Palace; Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths; Tretower Court and Castle.

■ Sites reopening in spring 2021: Rug Chapel; Llangar Church; Oxwich Castle; Rhuddlan Castle; Valle Crucis Abbey.